Thu May 15, 2008 at 03:52:30 PM EDT
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| In what might seem like a surprise to progressives, The Asbury Park Press has come out for one of the most important good-government reforms tried by the state.
The Press -- which takes the same position as my papers, the South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press -- calls for the continuation and expansion of the state's clean election program. |
| Hank Kalet :: Cleaning up government |
The Press says
Money for Clean Elections must be included in the budget due July 1 so the program can be expanded to cover the June 2009 primaries - one of the steps needed to improve the program, which last year covered three legislative districts. Funding primaries would encourage newcomers, women and members of minority groups to seek their party's nomination. That would help break the stranglehold political party bosses have on primaries, which leads to too many uncontested elections with too many familiar faces.
Clean Elections enable candidates to focus on issues rather than fundraising or currying favor with benefactors who expect a return on their investment, either as no-bid government contracts or favorable legislation. That inflates the cost of government and gives undue influence to moneyed interests.
As we explain in our editorial, the program was tried in three districts, including the 14th, and
the program leveled the funding playing field and allowed the seven candidates who qualified to forgo hat-in-hand fundraising and focus on the kind of retail politics that allows them to connect directly with voters.
Sen. Bill Baroni told me last week that legislation is being written, but the clock is ticking. At a minimum, the Legislature should continue the program in the three disrtricts that used it in 2007, extending it to the primaries, though I would rather see it run in all 40 districts.
The program, which the participants said was an important change in the way elections function, was not perfect. But the flaws, as we write in our editorial,
should be simple to fix:
- Third-party candidates should be funded at the same level as their major-party counterparts. Libertarian candidate Jason Scheurer could have received a maximum of $50,000 for his 14th District race, had he qualified for full funding. His major-party opponents all qualified for the maximum of $534,375. If the program is to expand opportunities for third parties, the program has to level the funding.
- Expand it to the primaries. In many legislative districts - those around Newark, for instance - there is only one functioning party, which means challenges to the status quo tend to occur during the primaries. Challengers, however, rarely have the financial backing of the party's anointed candidates. Clean elections can help level the funding disparity.
- Funding levels were set too high and should be reduced. The program under its current format would require a minimum of $24 million just to provide $100,000 in funding to major party candidates during years when senate and assembly seats are on the ballot. That does not take into account the extra funding given to split districts, rescue funds and the potential expansion of the program to the primaries.
But
The Legislature must act quickly, however, because expansion to the primaries will be difficult if the program is not in place before a state budget is approved. A small amount of money could be included in the proposed budget, offset by the elimination of business tax loopholes and other giveaways to industry, to fund the primary portion of the program while a longer-term solution could be put in place beginning with the 2009-2010 budget. A clean elections program is our best chance to break the connection between campaign contributions and public policy and restore the confidence of the people whom our elected officials are supposed to serve.
Write your legislator and the governor and make it happen.
A version of this ran on Channel Surfing. |
